October 24, 2014

"Nephew!" Aerina greeted Jadin like she did all her nieces and nephews who were older than she was. She hadn't been quite close with any of them--perhaps she'd been closest to Viridis, who'd only be a few months older than she was--but it was still funny enough, the idea of an aunt who was younger than her nieces and nephews, that they usually got a chuckle out of it.

Jadin, however--usually more jovial than Raia or Searle--just grimaced. "Auntie."

"This isn't a social call, is it?"

"Uh... no, not exactly." Figured. Given that they weren't that close, they didn't make a point to make one-on-one visits often. But if Jadin wasn't here to chat, then he had a problem--a problem of her less-than-pleasant specialty. "I've been having some... issues."

A rogue nerve in Aerina's leg twitched. Close or not, there was little worse in the life of a healer than treating one's own friends and family. "What sort of issues?"

"Uh, well... it started with just a rash. I'd had similar rashes before, but they always sort of cleared up on their own after a while." As many rashes did. Many, but not all. "Then I started having some difficulties with, um... elimination. And..."

He flushed. She opted to spare him the trouble. "Other functions of that area?"

"Ye-es. No performance issues--just added irritation when... ready to go." That, Aerina wouldn't have known about firsthand. But Jadin wasn't finished. "Now I've been having some dizzy spells, headaches, fevers, digestive issues--and that's been the best of it. My innards keep flaring up. They're all right now, but sometimes, I swear they're on fire. It's like someone's trying to cook me with my own blood."

"That's a... vivid description." Vivid, and troublesome. She'd run into a healer from Tetranshire while gathering herbs, and the woman had said a man had recently come to her with a similar complaint. 'Flames in the veins', or something to that effect. Sadly, given the story, Aerina did not think Jadin would be the least likely of her relatives to contract the same ailment. "Could I maybe take a look at this rash?"

Oh gosh I really hope Xeta doesn't have anything :S Or any of the kids, that would be the worst!I had a friend whose mother contracted herpes via her cheating husband while she was pregnant, 20 years later the child (now a grown woman) was in hospital from a sudden break-out. The worst part was there was nothing that could be done, and she and her mother contracted the virus without any knowledge or warning.

Winter: Ye-ep. :S Poor guy. At least his family is likely to be sympathetic.

It's definitely beyond the "just a rash" stage. Maybe Aerina can do something for him, but none of the healers had that luck the first time around. Then again, it's been a few years, so maybe they've come up with something new.

Ekho: We'll be seeing Xeta in the post after next, and she'll probably have had time to get herself checked by then. The kids who are already born are safe, but Xeta is pregnant right now... :S

Yikes! What a horrible way to contract an incurable (albeit, not fatal) disease. That's just awful. :(

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Disclaimer

This story contains considerable adult material including but not limited to sexual content, varying degrees of nudity, and foul language. It is not written nor recommended for children.

Also, nothing on this site should ever be taken as historically accurate, ever. It was never my intention to write "historical fiction". I like to delude myself into thinking many of the themes are universal, so if it furthers the story, it happens--whether it might have in the 12th century or not.

I would also like to add that I've been writing Naroni for several years now, and I started when I was quite young, and I've grown a lot as a person since then. Some early story arcs were written from a sheltered place without the required understanding to handle the subject matter. I won't deny that certain views I held as a high schooler, recent high school graduate, and young university student where at best naive and at worst toxic, and as such the material and any ill-advised comments I made on it will remain on the site, both to acknowledge my past mistakes and to remind myself that people grow and change, and that bettering yourself is a life-long process.

That being said, if none of the above offends/repulses/bores/otherwise dissuades you... Welcome to Naroni! I hope you enjoy the story.